VI 1. Leonard, b in Canaan, N. H., Dec. 7, 1784, m Love Machmore, of Newburyport, July 5, 1S05. He was a sea captain, and died at New Orleans, while doing business at that port, Sept. 1839, and his wife. Love, died 1863.

VI. Dolly Follansbee. b. July 4th. 1781, in Newbury Port, Mass., m., Feb. 14th. 1700, Ambrose Kibbee, who was born in Summers, Conn., May 25th 1770 and died in East Randolph, Vt., Nov. 22, 1827. She died Dec. 17th. 1823. They had the following issue, viz;

VII. 2. Betsey C. Goodrich, m. first in Williamstown, Vt., June 27, 1832, James Wolcott. He died in Iowa, in 1852, and she m. second David Martin, May 12, 1859. She had by her first husband issue, viz :

VI. 5. Eliphalet Goodrich, b in Newbury, Mass, March 6th, 1783, m Judeth Kimball, who was born in Hopkinton, N. H., April 28th, 1793. She died in Chelsea, Vt., Feb; 7th, 1848, and he died in Chelsea, July 25th, 1856. They had the following children, viz:

The Report is a mix of fact and fiction. The pedigree for my family line checks out perfect, but the listed coat of arms (a bee hive) and some timing in the sale of the 3 equal parcels of Follonsby Farm does not match historical record. One thing that is only mentioned in this report, and by that as word of mouth, that the Follansbee line in England starts with a Knight in the service of W.m. the Conqueror. While this makes for a great family story, the evidence does not bare this out. Available for anyone to view are historical records from Durham Cathedral that Follansbee Village was previously marsh and forest land that was drawn up to 702 acres and sold to Thorold de London around the 12th century by the Bishop of Durham. There is about a 90 year gap between William the Conq. and Thorold’s purchase.

Referring back to the coat of arms listed in the Report, A hive of Bees for Following bees does not match the history of the name. My prevailing theories on the name come from the original name Folete, Foletebi. If you have read the posts below, you may recall that Thorold’s son Nicolas is the first “de Foletebi” after he inherited the village from his father he was recorded as Nicolas de Foletebi. So, what we seem to have in the Report is a valid set of pedigrees, some scant information on the Follansbee Farms (former Village) in Durham Eng. and some filler information by our investigator.

The first section of the Report is titled “Organization” which comes in two parts, the preamble and the constitution. The preamble begins with its purpose and states a desire for further investigation in England. The Follansbees of America wanted to find and cash in on what they think to be a million dollar estate left in England.

ORGANIZATION

A general meeting of the Follansbee Family was holden in North Enfield, N. H. on the 8th day of May, 1865, in order to collect information relative to the Follansbee property in England, and to devise means to have a thorough investigation made of their claim to a very largo estate situated in England, said to belong to the Follansbee Family in America. It was thought that no longer delay should be allowed in this matter, but there should now be joint action and the question should be finally settled as to whom the property really belongs, and that steps should at once be taken to recover this immense estate if practicable. The Follansbee Family at this meeting was well represented, and the following Constitution was unanimously adopted:

THE FOLLANSBEE ASSOCIATION.

PREAMBLE.

Whereas, It is believed that there is in England, real and personal property to the amount of one million dollars or more, said to belong to the Follansbee family in America; and, whereas, the next of kin and heirs to this property are said to be in America; now, in order to prosecute that investigation and procure the pedigree of the family in this country, so as to connect them with the deceased who left the Estate, we, the undersigned, do agree to form ourselves into an Association under the following:

CONSTITUTION.

Art. 1. This Society shall be called the Follansbee Association,

Art. 2. C. M. Fisher, (.f London, England, and Columbus Smith, of Salisbury, Vt., are hereby appointed agents for the purpose of investigating the case in America and England, and are requested to make printed reports, from time to time, of their doings to the members of the Association.

Art. 3. C. G. White, of Middlebury, Vt., is hereby empowered to raise two thousand dollars, to cover the necessary expenses of investigating the case in America and England by issuing Scrip, which Scrip are to be the first lien upon the property when recovered.

Art. 4. Every ‘Scrip shall be sold for five dollars. entitling the holder to one hundred dollars out of the first money recovered from said Estate by any member of the Association, and no more scrip shall be sold by said agent than shall be necessary to raise said sum of two thousand dollars and the sum of ten percent shall be deducted by the said agent to remunerate him for selling.

Art. 5. The said Smith and Fisher are to receive the sum of two thousand dollars, (after deducting the ten per cent, from the sale of said Scrip,) and in addition thereto, we agree to pay them ten percent, of all the money or property which they may find due said family, that we, or any of us, or our heirs, executors, administrators or assigns shall ever recover from said property.

Art. 6. We further agree that the said White shall receive ten percent, of all the money or property which may be found due said family that we, or any of us, or our heirs, executors, administrators, or assigns, shall ever recover from said Estate.

Art. 7. No member of this Association shall be liable to pay more than one dollar, as expenses, or compensation, or otherwise, to any person or persons whatever.

Art 8. Any member of the Follansbee Family may become a member of this

Association by paying to C. G. White, agent as aforesaid, and by signing this Constitution, and each member shall be entitled to a printed report of all information gained in the case.

All members of the Follansbee family in America are invited to become members of this Association, and requested to forward their pedigree(so far as they know them) to Columbus Smith, West Salisbury, Vt., or to C. G. White, of :Middlebury, Vt. The following named persons are members of the Follansbee Association, as well as some others who have signed the Constitutions not yet returned.

[Here I have omitted the names listed for brevity]

REPORT

TO THE FOLLANSBBE ASSOCIATION:

According to the wishes of the Association, I will here give you all the information I have been able to collect from different members of the Follansbee family, and from other sources in America. This report must necessary be very imperfect, not yet having been able to collect much information relative to the case, nor the pedigree of but few branches of this somewhat numerous family. Most members of this family are aware that from the early part of this century, it has been talked of, by members of the Follansbee family, that there was a large property in England which had been left for them, by a Follansbee in England. Mr. Waldo, of Randolph, VT, says: That, as early as 1810, there was great excitement there about the large property coming to Moses Follansbee and his heirs, from England. Wm. P. Wills, of E. Randolph, VT., says: I recollect, about 1807 or 1808, there was great excitement with the people in consequence of information that came from England, to Moses Follansbee, that there was a large property in England that belonged to the Follansbee’s in America; that some of the heirs were offered $1,000 at that time for their claim. Many others, in Randolph and vicinity, recollect the same thing.

Seth P. Follansbee, of Enfield, says: I distinctly recollect, when a mere boy, of hearing my father, (Joseph Follansbee), tell my mother, that his father, Joseph Follansbee, had received a letter from England, saying there was a large property in England belonging to him and his connection. This was in the year 1809 or 1810.

I am informed that, as early as 1810, the Follansbee’s sent a Mr. Seabury, from Canaan. N.H., to England, to look after the property that, a short time previous to that, an advertisement appeared in the American papers, calling for the Fallansbees in America, to claim a property in England. I have not been able to get a copy of this advertisement, nor have I been able to learn what was done in England by Mr. Seabury, or whether he ever reported to the claimants.

Next post I will continue with the Report which then begins to be a copy of letters on the investigation into the family tree and the estate in England.